They have taken the Stars and Strips down in Tiananmen Square. Meanwhile, in the Great Hall of the People, U.S. President George W. Bush's visit is almost forgotten as the last meeting of China's National People's Congress before the 16th Party Congress in November has begun.

While Bush was on his tour of Northeast Asia, I was at a conference in England. The topic of our conference was the current state of Northeast Asian relationships. Participants were drawn from the great and the good of most East Asian states, including North Korea, and others interested in developments there. Naturally we watched the president's progress with interest. The consensus seemed to be that he did not do any more damage on top of that already done by his "axis of evil" speech, except possibly in South Korea.

There were the usual gaffes, of course, which we have come to look forward to, or would if it were not for the terrible consequences that can result from them. His remark that he had discussed currency devaluation with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was a good one. The attempt to suggest that he had actually been discussing deflation was not convincing. The gaffe here, I am sure, was that he told the truth.